HEADLINES

Month: September 2024

Buccaneers To Add George Edwards, Skip Peete To Staff

February 21st, 2023 at 2:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Buccaneers will provide landing spots for two recently dismissed Cowboys coaches. The NFC South team is hiring George Edwards and Skip Peete, according to NFL.com’s Jane Slater and Fox Sports’ Greg Auman (Twitter links).

As they prepared a transition away from Kellen Moore, the Cowboys informed Peete they were not renewing his contract. Despite Dan Quinn agreeing to return for a third season, Edwards also received word he was not coming back. Todd Bowles has previously worked with both and will bring them aboard his retooled coaching staff.

Edwards, 56, will coach Tampa Bay’s outside linebackers, per Auman. This will be their third run on the same staff; Bowles and Edwards previously coached together in Cleveland and Miami during the 2000s. Peete’s first Cowboys tour of duty overlapped with Bowles’ Dallas stay; the two were on Wade Phillips‘ first Cowboys staff in 2007. Peete, 60, will be the Bucs’ running backs coach, Slater notes. This is unsurprising; Peete has held that title exclusively during his lengthy NFL stay.

Edwards is best known for his run as the Vikings’ defensive coordinator. He held that title for six years under Mike Zimmer. From 2015-19, the Vikings rolled out a top-10 scoring defense in each season. That unit did well to help Minnesota to the playoffs thrice, each season coming with a different quarterback. Micah Parsons gave Edwards significant praise after learning of his departure. A senior defensive assistant in Dallas, Edwards played a lead role in unleashing Parsons, who roved between off-ball linebacker and edge rusher during his dominant start.

The Bucs will be the fifth NFL team to employ Peete as running backs coach since his 1998 NFL entrance. Most recently, Peete aided the development of Tony Pollard, who broke through for a career-high yards from scrimmage total en route to a Pro Bowl nod last season. Despite re-signing Leonard Fournette on a three-year, $21MM deal, the Bucs are coming off a last-place rushing season. Peete will work under new Bucs OC Dave Canales.

Dolphins TE Mike Gesicki Expected To Leave In Free Agency

February 21st, 2023 at 2:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Dolphins used their franchise tag on Mike Gesicki last year and proceeded to minimize his role. Tight end-needy teams can now count on the sixth-year veteran being available in March.

Gesicki is expected to hit the market and leave Miami, Cameron Wolfe of NFL.com notes (video link). This comes after the receiving tight end’s numbers cratered in Mike McDaniel‘s offense. After this proved to be a poor fit, the former second-round pick will test the waters once the legal tampering period begins March 13.

Last year brought three tight end tags, but after the Browns extended David Njoku, the other two (Gesicki, Dalton Schultz) played on the tag. The Schultz-Cowboys talks brought steady updates, but little came out about the Dolphins’ negotiations with Gesicki. That proved telling, as the team ended up paying the $10.9MM tag price for a 362-yard receiving season. Gesicki’s targets plummeted from 112 in 2021 to 52 last season.

Trade rumors emerged before the season started, as it became clear the Dolphins were changing Gesicki’s role. But the team held onto him. While Gesicki said he was happy staying in Miami ahead of the trade deadline, a better role likely awaits him elsewhere.

Drafted during Adam Gase’s time as head coach, Gesicki became a steady contributor during the Brian Flores–Chris Grier partnership. As the Dolphins cycled through offensive coordinators, the Penn State product became the team’s most consistent weapon from 2019-21. He eclipsed 700 receiving yards in 2020 and ’21. With Tyreek Hill in the fold, the Dolphins’ offense changed. Hill and Jaylen Waddle became the expected focal points, but McDaniel’s offense called for more Gesicki blocking. Although Kyle Shanahan‘s 49ers offense regularly receives production from George Kittle, the latter is one of the best blockers at his position. Pro Football Focus rated Gesicki as one of the league’s worst run-blocking tight ends last season.

Gesicki, 27, may well have had better luck on the market had the Dolphins not tagged him last year. Now, he is coming off an unproductive year. The 6-foot-6 pass catcher should still fare decently in free agency, with the cap rising by nearly $17MM, but it will be interesting to see who is willing to bet on his receiving talent this year.

Schultz, Hayden Hurst, Austin Hooper, Evan Engram and Robert Tonyan are among the tight ends on track to hit the market. The Jaguars want to bring back Engram, who could soon become the latest tight end tagged. That would benefit Gesicki and Co., thinning the talent pool. McDaniel’s team will likely be on the lookout for a replacement. Hunter Long remains on a rookie deal; he did not catch a pass last season. Durham Smythe is signed through 2023. While PFF graded Smythe as one of the league’s top run-blocking tight ends last season, Gesicki’s departure would leave the Dolphins with little in terms of proven receiving talent at the position.

Mutual Interest Between Jets, Derek Carr

February 21st, 2023 at 12:50pm CST by Adam La Rose

With the window for franchise tags opening today, the offseason has hit an important milestone in the build-up to free agency. One prominent name is already on the market, of course, and has a central role to play in this offseason’s quarterback market.

Derek Carr met with the Jets over the weekend, marking his second official visit to a potential new team and first as a free agent. Prior to his release from the Raiders, he visited the Saints, the only team which came to an agreement with Vegas on the matter of trade compensation. His New York sit-down produced positive results, and lends itself to further connections between the two.

Carr’s visit with the Jets was “very positive,” ESPN’s Jeff Darlington noted during a Get Up appearance (Twitter link via Heavy.com’s Paul Esden). Adding further to that sentiment, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network tweets that the summit led to “rave reviews” on both sides, and that interest exists between both team and player with respect to a deal materializing at some point. There remains plenty to be determined before Carr lands in his new NFL home, though.

Confirming what many had expected upon his release, Carr’s brother David said on NFL Total Access that the four-time Pro Bowler will be patient and thorough in his free agent visits. “It’s gonna be a long process,” the elder Carr said, via NFL.com’s Grant Gordon. “He wants to do his due diligence and see as many places as he can to get a feel for what the best place for him will be.”

Carr has the advantage of being able to sign at any time, as opposed to other pending free agents only being eligible to do after the new league year begins in March. He will likely have plenty of suitors, considering the interest reportedly shown by not only the Saints and Jets, but also the Commanders, Titans and Panthers once it became clear that Carr’s tenure with the Raiders was coming to an end. As arguably the top quarterback soon to be on the move — depending on what the future holds for top Jets target Aaron Rodgers –– Carr would be well-suited to weigh all his options before signing anywhere.

The Jets are still waiting on Rodgers, post-darkness, to inform the Packers of his plans, Dianna Russini of ESPN.com tweets, adding the AFC East team would be prepared to speak with Green Bay about its future Hall of Fame quarterback. A weekend report indicated the Packers have soured on Rodgers, opening the door to this third round of offseason trade rumors being the most legitimate.

The manner in which his time in the Silver and Black came to an end (which included him leaving the team upon being benched for the final two weeks of the season) has led some to wonder if Carr could be a poor fit from a personality standpoint. As Connor Hughes of SNY notes, though, the 31-year-old “completely erased” any doubts on that front (video link). With more likely to be known with respect to Rodgers’ intentions soon, it may take a number of weeks before Carr arrives at a decision. Nevertheless, signs continue to point to the Big Apple as a logical landing spot for him.

Commanders Notes: Snyder-Jones Relationship, Prospective Bidders, Potential Sale Timeline

February 21st, 2023 at 10:55am CST by Adam La Rose

The matter of a potential Commanders sale has been a talking point for months now, as the view other NFL owners take of Dan Snyder has worsened. That trend has stretched to even affect his Cowboys counterpart, Jerry Jones.

A bombshell report from October indicated that Snyder had dug up dirt on his fellow owners, as a means of providing leverage against a vote forcing him to sell his team. In the wake of that report – which the 58-year-old has denied – it was said that Jones still counted himself amongst Snyder’s supporters. That appears to still be the case, but relations between the two have changed.

“I would say we’ve had to be more formal in our conversations,” Jones said, via USA Today’s Jarrett Bell. “We’re not as cavalier as we might have been. Follow me? Don’t know who’s listening. Who’s what? So, we’ve had to be more formal.”

Jones added that Snyder is “not the most beloved guy around,” and that he wouldn’t be worth “taking a sword” for. That marks a notable stance potentially in favor of a sale, something which would likely go a long way amongst other owners, given Jones’ sway in that particular group and his reputation for supporting Snyder more than most.

Here are some other notes related to the Commanders and their hypothetical sales process:

  • Josh Harris, owner of the Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Devils and English Premier League club Crystal Palace, toured the Commanders’ facility earlier this month, per Ben Standig and Daniel Kaplan of The Athletic (subscription required). He did the same last summer as as prospective buyer of the Broncos, so this action signals his interested in becoming owner of the next NFL team to (potentially) go on the market. Around that same time, another, unnamed candidate toured the facility as well, according to the Washington Post’s Mark Maske, Nicki Jhabvala and Liz Clarke. This past Friday, another potential buyer did the same, Jhabvla tweets.
  • It was reported in December that an initial bidding process took place, one which notably did not include Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. Providing clarity on that front, Standig and Kaplan note that that December process actually consisted of “non-binding indications of interest,” which do not require formal bids taking place. That is the next step, though, and is expected to take place soon. Once it happens, however, there may be a distinct lack of competition amongst prospective buyers. Lydia Moynihan of the New York Post reports that only two serious contenders remain in the running (including Harris, and not Bezos); they have each showed a willingness to reach the $6BB mark in a sales price, though liquidity would be an issue on Harris’ and the unnamed other bidder’s part at that value. One of Moynihan’s sources predicts Bezos will be courted late in the process given his significant advantage in terms of total wealth.
  • Speculation has persisted in terms of when a final decision will be made with respect to a sale being green-lighted, and then finalized. On that point, Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer notes that a deal will ideally be in place by the time the NFL’s owners’ meetings take place in late March (video link). That would allow the other owners to vote on and ratify a sale, as they did in the case of the Broncos last offseason, and presumably bring an end to the saga hanging over the Commanders.

Eagles Conducted DC Interviews With Chris Shula, Jesse Minter

February 21st, 2023 at 9:55am CST by Adam La Rose

The Eagles continue to evaluate both the NFL and NCAA landscapes in their search for a new defensive coordinator. A pair of candidates are the latest names to be connected to the opening.

Philadelphia has interviewed Rams defensive backs coach Chris Shula along with Michigan DC Jesse Minter, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (on Twitter). Neither coach had drawn interest for an opening elsewhere so far in the 2023 hiring cycle, but they have added to the growing lost of staffers the Eagles are considering as they try to find Jonathan Gannon‘s replacement.

Shula, 37, is the grandson of Hall of Famer Don Shula and son of former Bengals head coach Dave Shula. He began his NFL coaching career with the Chargers in 2015, spending two years there. He moved on to the Rams in 2017, becoming a member of Sean McVay‘s first Los Angeles staff after playing under him in college. Shula worked with the team’s linebackers for his first five seasons, but in 2022 was given the new title of DBs coach along with passing game coordinator.

Minter, meanwhile, has primarily worked in the college ranks throughout his coaching career. The 39-year-old’s first and only NFL gig to date came in Baltimore beginning in 2017. He was hired as a defensive assistant that year, and later spent time as assistant, then full-time defensive backs coach of the Ravens. In 2021, he returned to NCAA sidelines with Vanderbilt, leading him to the Wolverines this past season. Michigan’s defense played a key role in their second straight Big Ten championship and CFP appearance this season. That has understandably put Minter back on the NFL radar.

The Eagles not only lost Gannon as coordinator after two seasons, but they face the possibility of losing a number of defensives starters in free agency this offseason. That includes several members of their secondary, though keeping C.J. Gardner-Johnson is expected to be a priority. Targeting staffers with experience as defensive backs coaches would make sense in their attempt to re-tool that unit heading into 2023.

Here is an updated breakdown of the Eagles’ search:

  • Sean Desai, defensive assistant (Seahawks): Interview requested
  • Vance Joseph, defensive coordinator (Cardinals): Team interested
  • Jim Leonhard, defensive coordinator (Wisconsin): Interviewed
  • Jesse Minter, defensive coordinator (Michigan): Interviewed
  • Chris Shula, defensive backs coach (Rams): Interviewed
  • Dennard Wilson, defensive backs coach (Eagles): Mentioned as candidate

Browns Fire ST Coordinator Mike Priefer

February 21st, 2023 at 8:58am CST by Adam La Rose

In an offseason which already saw the Browns make a change at defensive coordinator, another notable shake-up has taken place on the sidelines. The team announced on Tuesday that they have parted ways with special teams coordinator Mike Priefer.

The 56-year-old has been a coordinator at the NFL level since 2006, when he joined the Chiefs. He had brief stints there and in Denver, which set him up for a lengthy stay with the Vikings. He worked in Minnesota from 2011 to 2018, spending time alongside Kevin Stefanski. It was there that Priefer was named Special Teams Coordinator of the Year for the 2012 campaign.

The Cleveland native was hired by the Browns in 2019 under head coach Freddie Kitchens, then reunited with Stefanski one year later. Under Priefer, the Browns ranked 27th the NFL in 2020 in terms of special teams DVOA, climbing slightly to 25th the following season. In 2022, the unit finished midpack in that regard, ranking 14th, leading many to believe he would be retained for at least one more season.

Priefer was under contract for 2023, but he now joins Joe Woods as a Browns coordinator in search of a new NFL home. Woods has landed another DC job by joining the Saints, and Priefer will look to parlay his experience (which includes a few instances stepping in as head coach from his time in Minnesota and Cleveland) into another coordinator position.

“I appreciate everything Prief has done for this team in his three seasons as my special teams coordinator, but I have decided to move in another direction in the best interest of our organization,” Stefanski said in a statement. “I know this city will forever be grateful for the job he did as acting head coach in our AFC wild card win and for all his contributions while leading the Browns special teams units for the last four seasons. We wish Prief the best with his next opportunity.”

The Browns may already have Priefer’s replacement lined up. Cleveland has requested an interview with Colts special teams coordinator Raymond ‘Bubba’ Ventrone, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (Twitter link). A three-year veteran of the Browns as a player, the 40-year-old has been in charge of Indianapolis’ third phase since 2018 and has multiple options to consider, Pelissero’s colleague Mike Garafolo tweets. Since a move to Cleveland would be a lateral one, the Colts have the option of blocking the request.

Daniel Jones Changes Agents; Giants QB Seeking $45MM-Per-Year Deal?

February 20th, 2023 at 10:15pm CST by Adam La Rose

Giants general manager Joe Schoen faces the tall task of keeping quarterback Daniel Jones and running back Saquon Barkley in the fold for at least the 2023 season. The team’s priorities in terms of signing long-term deals has shifted recently, and the former is looking to use his leverage to a significant extent.

Jones has changed agents, as first reported by ESPN’s Jordan Raanan (on Twitter). The 25-year-old was represented by CAA, but has signed with Athletes First; such a change usually requires a five-day waiting period, but CAA has reportedly waived that. The move marks one of several agent changes seen in recent weeks amongst pending free agents, but it could signal a desire on Jones’ part to secure a larger deal than many were expecting.

Indeed, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports that Jones is seeking more than what the Giants have offered to date. Specifically, he notes that Jones’ ask could be for a deal averaging “as much as $45MM per season.” That would represent a steep increase in price compared to the $35MM-per-year region a new contract has been expected to land in. It would also, of course, mark a much larger figure than what the non-exclusive franchise tag ($32.4MM) would cost for 2023.

Five signal-callers currently average $45MM or more on their current contracts, including First Athlete client Deshaun Watson. His historic, fully-guaranteed deal has widely been seen as an outlier compared to other QB mega-deals, though, and was signed under far different circumstances to the ones Jones and the Giants are currently in. The Duke alum had by the best year of his career in 2022, but his previous struggles made it an easy decision for the team to decline his fifth-year option last offseason.

Doing so now leaves them in the position of a multi-year deal being the best option with respect to keeping Barkley on the books as well. The franchise tag for running backs is a fraction of the cost for quarterbacks, and would save the Giants significant cap space by keeping Barkley around in 2023 via that route. That could postpone contract talks with him (which have suggested the 26-year-old could ink a deal worth roughly $14MM per year) until next offseason, where clarity may have emerged for the Giants on the performance and injury front.

While Florio’s update is certainly noteworthy, one from Paul Schwartz of the New York Post falls in line with previous reporting on the Jones situation. He notes that the “ballpark” contract the team is eyeing is five years and $190MM, which equates to an AAV of $38MM. Spreading out the cap hit on such a pact would give the Giants valuable flexibility, and confirm their stated goal of moving forward with him as their franchise QB. Negotiations could take an interesting turn now, however, as free agency draws nearer.

Coaching Updates: Eagles, Cards, Broncos

February 20th, 2023 at 10:05pm CST by Ely Allen

Following an impressive 2022 campaign that led to a Super Bowl appearance, the Eagles have watched their coaching staff be picked apart as both former coordinators have accepted positions as head coaches elsewhere. It looks like two of the assistants that they’ve held onto so far may be leading candidates to replace their former coordinators, according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.

Breer claims that it’s looking more and more like quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson will be staying in Philadelphia. The lauded assistant recently turned down an opportunity to join Frank Reich‘s new staff in Carolina, which Breer believes sets him up to succeed Shane Steichen as the Eagles’ next offensive coordinator.

Similarly, Philadelphia may be looking internally to replace Jonathan Gannon, as well. Originally, the team considered Vic Fangio and Jerod Mayo as top candidates, but with Fangio taking the coordinator job in Miami and Mayo looking more and more like Bill Belichick‘s protege in New England, they were forced to keep looking. Breer posits that passing-game coordinator Dennard Wilson should be considered a top candidate for the defensive coordinator job in Philadelphia.

Here are a few other updates to coaching staffs currently in flux amidst regime changes:

  • The Cardinals have started piecing their coaching staff together under Gannon. The team has hired Klayton Adams to serve as their offensive line coach, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Adams has history coaching multiple offensive positions in the college ranks and last served as the tight ends coach for the Colts after two years as the assistant offensive line coach. He had recently accepted the offensive line coaching position at Stanford but will spurn the Cardinal to coach for the Cardinals. Assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Jeff Rodgers is reportedly being retained by Gannon, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. No word on if Rodgers will retain both titles or solely serve as special teams coordinator. Lastly, the Cardinals had interviewed Commanders wide receivers coach Drew Terrell for their offensive coordinator position before hiring Drew Petzing to the position, but the team reportedly may still hire Terrell in a different role. According to Jeremy Folwer of ESPN, Terrell is considered a strong candidate to be hired as the pass-game coordinator in Arizona.
  • Yet another former Saints staffer will be joining Sean Payton in Denver. According to Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football, Dan Dalrymple will be joining the Broncos‘ staff. Dalrymple previously served as the Saints head strength and conditioning coach for the past 16 years. On the other side of things, a former Broncos staffer is on the way out, according to Mike Klis of 9NEWS. Following recent suspicions that Payton had his own person in mind for the job, wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni has opted to join Nathaniel Hackett in New York under the same title.

Which Tag Will Ravens Use On Lamar Jackson?

February 20th, 2023 at 8:54pm CST by Ely Allen

Despite the continuous work of the Ravens and quarterback Lamar Jackson to reach a long-term agreement, it’s seemingly become a foregone conclusion that the Ravens will utilize their franchise tag to keep Jackson in Baltimore for another year.

On its surface, the decision seems simple: keep Jackson around so that the two parties can continue to negotiate. In reality, even the decision to tag Jackson becomes complicated as the two types of tags available (assuming Baltimore doesn’t go the route of the transition tag) hold major implications for their hopes of a future deal, according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.

The Ravens have the option of applying the exclusive franchise tag or the much more common non-exclusive franchise tag. The non-exclusive franchise tag allows the tagged player to negotiate a deal with a new team while granting the original team to option to match or refuse to match the new team’s offer. The exclusive franchise tag guarantees that the tagged player will remain with the original team but comes at a higher cost.

If Baltimore applies the non-exclusive franchise tag to Jackson, it opens the door for another franchise to submit an offer sheet. There’s a risky potential benefit for Baltimore in doing this. If the offer sheet comes in lower than what Jackson is asking for, the Ravens would have more solid ground to stand on in their contract negotiations.

This leaves the team vulnerable, though, to an offer sheet coming in far higher than the offers they’ve presented to Jackson. A team could, in theory, hamstring the Ravens by offering a contract that is higher than what the Ravens are offering but that they know the Ravens will not let Jackson walk over, leaving the Ravens in a precarious position financially. This kind of subterfuge is technically not allowed by the league, but it would be hard to prove intent over an asset like Jackson.

With that sort of risk, one might think it would just make more sense to apply the exclusive franchise tag to Jackson and be done with it. Sure, it would cost more, but it’s just for one year, right? Not exactly. Rumors have already come out that Jackson would be willing to play out two franchise tags before coming to a new deal, much like was done by Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins. OK, so it’s only two years then. No big deal. Unfortunately for Baltimore, while that would be the easiest immediate option, it would limit its negotiating power when seeking a long-term contract.

The exclusive tag for a quarterback currently would cost the Ravens $45.46MM in 2023. The cost of a second consecutive tag would likely be more in 2024 and adds an additional percentage. This means that, when devising a new contract for Jackson, Baltimore would have to include at least a two-year guarantee of $100MM because that would be the projected sum of two consecutive exclusive franchise tags, and the goal is to convince Jackson not to go that route.

Another danger Breer points out, and this one seems a bit less likely, is that Jackson may elect not to sign the exclusive franchise tag right away. This would allow Jackson to opt-out of any mandatory team activities through August with no penalty. Only if he misses games would Jackson incur any penalties by sitting out.

The Ravens have got plenty of decisions to make this offseason, but none seem bigger than how they are going to keep Jackson in black and purple for years to come. It’s sounding more and more likely that they tag Jackson to keep him from conventionally hitting free agency, but even that holds more decisions for general manager Eric DeCosta and company.

Kyler Murray Influenced Jonathan Gannon’s Decision To Accept Arizona HC Position

February 20th, 2023 at 7:05pm CST by Ely Allen

In an interesting excerpt from a conversation with new Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon, we learned that quarterback Kyler Murray played a huge factor in bringing the first-time head coach to Arizona, according to Peter King of NBC Sports. There was also a bit of information detailing just how badly the Eagles wanted to hang on to their former defensive coordinator.

When asked about how the “polarizing figure” of Murray factored into Gannon’s decision, Gannon frankly replied, “If Kyler Murray isn’t here, I don’t take this job.”

Gannon went on to laud the young quarterback, praising the ability he has to put defenses in a bind. He then elaborated on where he thinks he can improve on Murray’s usage. Gannon believes that Murray was utilized out of the shotgun offense far too often and that incorporating more play from under center will “take him to another level and unleash his full skill set.” Gannon claims that running more plays from under center will force defenses to have to be ready to defend plays they don’t worry about in shotgun formations, taking pressure off of the offensive line and Murray.

In light of Gannon’s plans for the 25-year-old quarterback under new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, it’s clear that Gannon is on the positive end of the polarizing opinions of Murray. It sounds like Cardinals fans should expect Murray to remain the long-term plan at quarterback moving forward under Gannon.

King’s next question asked Gannon to expand on his exit from Philadelphia. It appears that the Eagles’ brass had some idea that Gannon would be a hot commodity and prepared a counteroffer to keep him in place. According to Gannon, the team offered him a new contract that would pay him more than he would make as a head coach.

As much as Gannon claims to have loved Philadelphia, head coach Nick Sirianni, general manager Howie Roseman, and owner Jeffrey Lurie, the prospect of becoming a head coach was too enticing. Gannon credits Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill, general manager Monti Ossenfort, and Murray with making the job so alluring, so much so that he was willing to turn down a rich new deal to retain a position in which he knew he could succeed.

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